Emergency Medical Services

All of our Firefighters are Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians with most holding Paramedic level certification. We provide a fire based transporting Advanced Life Support Ambulance service to the Flathead Valley and surrounding communities.

Chain of Survival

In communities where the fire service is the principal provider of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) first response, the “chain of survival” standard shown in the image below was developed by the American Heart Association and is often used to provide guidance for distribution of resources.

The chain of survival suggests that basic life support (CPR and defibrillation) should be available to the victim of cardiac arrest within four minutes of the event, and that advanced life support (paramedic service) should be available within eight minutes or less of the event. Early notification, distribution and concentration of emergency response service are thus paramount to successful resuscitation efforts.

Trauma Events

In trauma events, the golden hour is the historic benchmark applied to victims with significant critical traumatic injuries. The golden hour reflects the concept that survivability decreases significantly if the patient isn’t in the operating room within one hour of receiving a critical traumatic injury. The proper placement and staffing of well trained and equipped personnel is crucial for positive outcomes regarding emergencies.